In the Power of the Beholder
by Kitera
Summary: Sometimes a little power goes a long way. And that's just what this demon is offering Lady, the power to get whatever her heart desires. But will she take it? DxL
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I needed to write could think of what to write, so I went searching for websites that have writing prompts. Which really meant digging out my copy of Writer's Digest and seeing their list of top 100 writing websites of 2008. This prompt came from or something like that. It was prompt number...I don't remember there are over 300 of them. Anyway this is most definitely the first chapter in a very short story. And I'll let you read on.

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**In the Power of the Beholder

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_If I had the power to change something, I would change...like I haven't already decided this?_ Shaking her head Lady pushed up so that she was leaning back on her elbows while reclined on the floor. Her two story loft apartment was usually pretty calming and open feeling, but right now it was just lonely feeling. The rain pattering at her her windows was not helping matters either. It was so quiet and sometimes she even felt that it wasn't even a place that had a tenant.

Staring blankly out the window her brow furrowed as she allowed her thoughts to wander. Memories from her childhood flooding back. Her mother, such a graceful creature. It wasn't much of a wonder how Lady had ended up so talented in acrobatics. Not that it had helped Kalina Ann when Arkham decided to kill her. She shuddered pulling her knees up to her chest as she sat up, wrapping her arms around her legs she rested her head against them. That would be the one thing that she changed. Her mother would still be here.

And her? Well she wouldn't be going out every couple nights to hunt demons and brushing up against a half-demon on top of that. She'd be in college finishing those dreams that had seemed so important before her death. She'd be going somewhere in life somewhere that wasn't so single-minded, or maybe it would be but at least it wouldn't be so violent. She snorted, who was she kidding she'd come to enjoy that part of the job. Imagining her long dead father's face on the faces of all those demons as she pulled the trigger. On the rainy nights that thought comforted her the same way the thought that if her mother were still alive her life would have been different.

And then there'd be that intolerable moment where she'd actually feel sad. For if her mother was still alive and working Lady never would have met Dante or Trish (although meeting Trish she could have done without). If Kalina Ann were still around she never would have killer her father. Hell she probably wouldn't have known of his obsession with demons and gaining power at all. She could have lived with that.

"Who are you kidding you wouldn't trade any of this..." Pushing herself to her feet in fluid motion Lady walked to the phone and hit the speed dial for some where.

"Devil May Cry." A familiar smooth voice answered in a haughty way making Lady's lips curl in displeasure.

"Put the idiot on the phone." She muttered at least attempting to sound annoyed with the other woman.

"Hm? What's got you in a huff?" Trish asked.

"Just get Dante."

There was several long seconds of silence as she assumed Trish went to get Dante. as far as either of them knew she had another case that she needed his help on. Which half made sense and half didn't, usually she would have ridden over and briefed him on it as he read a magazine and Trish ate pizza. Loathe as she was to admit it she could really use the asses company right now.

"He's indisposed at the minute."

"Trish, if I have to shoot you in order for you to actually put him on the phone I will." She did not have the patience for this bullshit right now.

There was the muffled sound of a very obviously masculine chuckle before his voice greeted her.

"Hey kid, you don't sound to happy." He teased.

"Shut up and get over here... and bring a pizza." She added the last bit after hesitation. She wasn't really sure she would eat any of it but even if she didn't he would.

"Any reason why?"

"Dante..." She breathed her tone meant to betray the warning she wasn't speaking. She bit her tongue from saying please, he didn't rate, no matter how many years went by, high enough to have the satisfaction of hearing her plead.

There was a snort followed by a sigh, "Well if I have to I guess I can. I'll bring the pizza babe."

The phone was buzzing with the dial tone before she could tell him not to call her babe. At least he was coming that was always a plus. Of course it didn't change the fact that she'd been moping mere moments ago. A fact that bothered her greatly, she didn't mope she did anything but mope.

Crossing the room she sat on her couch and turned on her laptop, trying to distract herself with her usual habits as she waited. At first not seeming to work but when it finally did it seemed that Dante had finally decided to show up with the pizza. Or at least she was assuming it was him when she heard the knock at the door. Locking the computer so only she could get back on it (purely precautionary but hey paranoia had kept her alive for quite some time at this point), she stood stretching her arms over her head as she walked to the door.

There was another impatient knock making her grumble as she peered through the peep hole checking that it was indeed him before she undid the deadbolt and pulled the door open.

"Took you long enough." She grumbled reaching for the pizza box. She was starving and she wasn't going to be denied something even if it was only pizza.

"Sorry traffic was horrible." He grinned at her letting her take the box and followed her as she lead the way to large main room. His eyes taking in the fact that she had removed the mats that had covered the floor last time, his blue eyes searching for them in the dim lights. He found it funny he'd always pinned her for being the type to keep the lights on at night after dealing with demons day in and day out.

"By bad you mean you were too lazy to move fast."

"And endanger the pizza? You're funny Lady." He exclaimed popping the top open and taking out a slice and shoving half of the slice into is mouth and chewing as he watched her get plates, looking amused when she glared at him after seeing the slice in his hand.

"Since when, you're always telling me to chill out." She turned the box so she could get at the pizza and gingerly plucked a piece from the gooey circle of cheese and bread. Lady didn't quite understand how he survived on this stuff alone but she was thankful to be able to forgo actually making herself dinner tonight. She wasn't in the mood to do any cooking.

She watched as she shrugged leaning back against the corner tearing another chunk off his slice of pizza and chewing before turning his attention to her. "So what did ya need?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Lady sat on Dante's desk, usually she didn't bother with more than leaning on it since Trish usually had her ridiculously tiny rear parked on it, but today Trish was mercifully absent and Dante was as usual late. It had to be payback for calling him to her place late on a rainy night a week ago why else would his place be otherwise so mysteriously empty and the doors unlocked. He didn't leave them unlocked very often, usually when he lost his keys or knew Trish was around, but for neither to be true…yeah the man was getting payback for calling him out and then kicking him out in all of a half hour.

What did he want her to say when he asked? I need you to tear my clothes off and make me forget for one moment that I can't change what is? Shaking her head Lady shook that thought out of her head, nose twitching a little as the smell of sulfur reached her nose. In half a second all of her nerves went tense, that smell only preceded the appearance of demons, or when eggs rotted but she doubted Dante even knew what an egg was let alone had any in his fridge. After all the guy ate pizza for his every meal of the day.

Her hand inched toward the holstered weapon at her hip when a snicker stopped her. Her gaze roving the room at light speed as she tried to place it and eventually landing on a man standing before her. He hadn't been there before which she didn't like and had her hand wrapping around the grip of her gun. People appearing out of thin air made her nervous, which she blamed entirely on her father from way back when. He had a very bad habit of appearing out of nowhere and then beating her up or throwing her off the edge of a building before she killed him. Eyebrows furrowing she stared waiting for this apparent demon to do something to make her draw, and he just stood there serene as ever an amused grin on his face as he tsked his tongue and wagged a finger at her.

"Now, now Lady you don't want to do that do you?"

"And why the hell not?" She asked her voice carefully neutral despite her posture breathing tension.

The man laughed, "Because I have something you want _desperately_."

His emphasis on that last word made her pause in thinking about all the different ways she could kill him and he wouldn't be able to do anything to stop her. Eyes wide in surprise to the point that they showed a lot clearer than she usually allowed that her eyes weren't the same color. Probably didn't help that her red lensed sunglasses were sitting in her pocket rather than on her face. But he _knew_, this demon actually knew just how much she was willing to risk in order to get her mother back. To change history as it had been written already so that she could once more have her best friend in her life.

"You can't give me that, no one can give me that. She's dead!" She practically screamed shaking her head in both denial that she wanted that and to get the thought out of her head that she was actually entertaining asking him what his cost would be to do so. Fate had had its say already there was nothing she could do to change that. Her only purpose now was to kill every demon she could before one of them managed to take her out instead.

And with that thought she swung her right hand up her gun in hand and pulled the trigger shooting a window pane across the room rather than the man who had been standing there. Still tense and breathing hard in her anger Lady pushed off the desk and stood in the middle of the room searching for any sign or sound of her new target. Dante could have the case she'd been planning on just asking for help with this demon, he was her's to kill and the others could wait until she'd succeeded.

A whisper of a laugh echoed just as she finished thinking that she'd kill him fading at the same time that the door burst open. Still on edge Lady whirled Beretta pointed at the half-demon that owned the Devil May Cry. The look on his face saying that he was more than a little amused at her sudden jumpiness.

"Hey babe, I thought we were over this." He murmured lowering the muzzle of her gun to point at the floor with an index finger.

"Shut up. You're late, I should shoot you." Looking her typically annoyed self when he wasn't on time Dante merely shrugged and sauntered to his desk sitting down and kicking his feet up onto its top.

"You wanted to see me babe. Not my fault other cases popped up."

For a moment she just stood there as she holstered her weapon and rolled her eyes at him before walking over with an agile grace that said if he pushed any more of her buttons tonight he might find himself reliving the first time he met her.

"I have a case you might like. Interested?"

"Ye-…" He cut himself off as his nose caught the fading scent of sulfur and he turned his gaze to hers, "So you had a party while I was gone. I'm impressed, I thought you had a thing about respecting people's space."

"It was one, and he wasn't interested in a fight." She grumbled annoyed that he had gotten completely off topic.

"What was he interested in?" Leaning back in his chair Dante gave her a not so subtle look up and down before waiting for her to answer arms crossed over her chest.

"None of your business, are interested in the case or not?"

A long pause settled in over them. Dante clearly thinking although the grin on his face also said he probably wasn't thinking about whether or not he wanted to take the job and more whether or not this demon was worth continuing to annoy her about. Finally he shrugged.

"Why not, I just wrapped up my last one. Another case wouldn't hurt."

Lady nodded, "Good."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

There was a long pause for a moment after Lady spoke, taking a moment to organize her thoughts before she explained the case to Dante. It wasn't very hard just some low-level demon gathering a following in the hopes that he might be able to do what Vergil had done twenty something years ago. And she wasn't looking forward to any demon trying that again, she was the only living descendent of the priestess sacrificed, and there was no way anyone was going to knock her out and bleed her like that again. But still if this was nipped in the bud early it might become an actual problem…for her anyway.

She had faith that they wouldn't be able to open it seeing as how she was pretty sure Dante didn't return with the other half of the amulet needed to actually open the gateway. And she hadn't seen or heard rumors of Vergil having returned in all the years that she'd been working bringing him some cases when they were too much for her. Finally she shrugged her shoulders arms crossed over her chest.

"You remember when we met don't you?"

Dante snorted; of course he remembered how did one forget a night where it was raining babes and rather fine ones at that? "Yeah…you shot me in the head." He responded tapping his index finger against the center of his forehead where both bullets had gone in.

She shrugged not really remorseful about it seeing as at the time she had some slightly bad preconceived notions about demons. A lot of them still very intact and while the majority didn't apply to him anymore, they still carried quite a bit of weight when it came to demons in general. "I've heard rumors of a low-level demon, trying to build a following so he can raise Temen-ni-Gru again. He plans to open the portal between demon world and human world."

"So?" He picked up a magazine that was sitting on his desk and flipped to somewhere in the middle. He was trying to appear like this news didn't bother him in the slightest, when inside his blood was boiling and his nerves roiling. Somewhere deep down he'd always worried that maybe someone would try that again, and it bothered him that his family history had tied her to him for as long as demons sought ways into the human world.

She was strong and perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but even he knew that if whoever ran the show was smart and sent a demon with half a brain she'd be overpowered. Being merely human in there line of work wasn't going to give you many advantages which was why she probably kept herself in such fantastic shape and the long hours she'd spend in the gym working on her flexibility, her strength, every little asset she could squeeze from her much more delicate human body honed to being the strongest it could possibly be and she still pushed. Once a long time ago he had to wonder if she pushed to see if she could catch up to him, but that thought had been replaced by the realization that she understood her limitations and worked so hard to make them into her strengths.

"So, if they get a hold of the keys and my blood they'll succeed. It should be nipped before he amasses too many followers. My contact doesn't want to see a repeat of the last time it opened, even if it was only for a short period of time."

There were several long seconds of silence between them, the only sound in the room being the fan overhead creaking and the occasional page turn from the magazine. Otherwise the room was silent as if the very building was waiting for Dante's response on what he would do. On the one hand he could use the busy work and on the other, he could sit out let her take care of it, although he'd never forgive himself for handing her to the demon on a platter if he did that. Heaving a sigh the man closed the magazine with a small flutter and threw it down on the desk.

"Say I do this, what's my cut?"

Rolling her eyes Lady leaned across the desk, "The usual. Are you taking the case?"

"Why not, but you're helping."

Grinning Lady straightened up, "We'll see, there's something I have to look into first."

That piqued Dante's interest enough to lean forward across his desk, "You mean the sulfur from earlier?"

Already walking away she tossed a wave over her shoulder, "So what if it is."

"You're going to need help with that too Lady." He called after her.

"Wait for my call." She said mostly to the door although she knew he could hear her before slipping out and approaching her bike in the drizzle that had just started.

"Lying to your partner? How dishonest of you."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four.

Lady froze her eyes scanning her surroundings, it was only the second time and already she was annoyed by this demon's ability to announce himself before appearing. The hair on the back of her neck was standing on end as her nose wrinkling as the scent of rotting eggs drifted toward her once again that night. When she found him she saw that he was leaning against her bike, arms crossed casually over his chest as the drizzle slowly turned into a shower. Maybe she'd be lucky and get a thunderstorm that night.

"What do you want?" She muttered her back up automatically much like it used to get when she first met Dante.

"Just to make you an offer." The man's' voice rolled across the distance separating them soft and seductive. A shiver ran down Lady's spine making her think that maybe this was something akin to what her father felt when he started down his path for the power of Sparda. But she masked it with a blank look as she finally took the time to take in his features.

His eyes were much like Dante's and his twins, ice blue but his hair was wrong a dark brown that in the rain looked black falling just to his eyebrows and brushing his ears. His face held a cruelty to it that she wasn't used to seeing in faces even after all the demons she'd killed and even that brief happenstance where she'd stood face to face with Vergil. She didn't like this idea of being offered anything by anyone even more so when it was demon, there was bound to be a price.

"I'm not interested."

The man chuckled and shook his head, "But of course you are, you would have shot me by now if you weren't."

Glaring Lady tilted her head ever so slightly. "Just what could you offer me that would be worth the price you ask for?"

"Power," He murmured his voice a low rumble almost husky as if he was trying to entice an unwilling woman home with him.

She snorted, "No thanks." She didn't bother with giving him another chance to say something; popping the snap on the holster she pulled her gun on him. Watching in disbelief as it was knocked from hand and both arms were twisted painfully behind her back, the first time that this demon seemed to not mind keeping his distance. Struggling she tried to find a way to loosen his hold on her arms only succeeding in having him jerk them upwards painfully.

"This would never happen again if you took my offer, this would change and whatever else you desired." He whispered in her ear his breath hot, moving her hair as he spoke to tickle the shell.

"Sometimes your kind is as stupid as the rest of you demons." She said flatly as she twisted and kicked back landing her heel between his legs with enough force to make even a demon loosen his grip. Freeing herself she made a dive for her discarded weapon and came up from a roll arm steady with her aim trained on him. "You have the same weaknesses as any other man. Or did you forget?"

She watched as the demon picked himself back up and then fell forward again blood spouting for a moment from the back of his head almost immediately after she heard a gunshot echo in the rain, a quick whiff of gunpowder reaching her and then it was gone. Whatever people said about her temper she hadn't been the one to pull the trigger this time around. She'd hesitated for a half a second too long and she was wondering why.

"I thought it was too quiet when you left."

Shaking herself Lady turned her gaze into the rain to see Dante coming down the steps, spinning Ivory around his index finger idly as if it were a toy rather than a very dangerous weapon. "Shut up I was just leaving."

Not paying him much more attention as she sauntered to her bike and threw a leg over it and slipped the key into the ignition twisting it until the engine came to life with a rumble. She turned a little at the sound of the body splashing into a puddle probably from Dante kicking it to get a look at the demons face after having smelt the scent of sulfur twice in less than an hour.

"So who is this guy?"

"Your demon from earlier."

"What'd he want with you?"

"The usual, give me a power-up at the price of god knows what." She revved the engine not interested in humoring his questions. She wanted to go home and get out of the rain, take a nice long hot shower and then curl up in bed under the blankets and sleep through whatever coming storm was on the horizon. Popping up the kickstand she put her helmet on and took off not really caring about what else he had to say on the matter.


End file.
